I owe you a Season Announcement.
But first I need to get personal here for a minute. If that's something you're not here for at The Constructivists, you can just jump to the graphics below and that will give you a good gist of where we are at right now. The following is about some challenges being faced, and the stressful content may not be what you need today. Though I will tell you it is these challenges that are the reason Season Six is shaping up as it is.
And I also need to say The Constructivists are more than just producing great work. We're meant to be so much more than that. So if you are also here for the community, please continue reading.
One thing I work really hard at in this company is transparency. In our world, the theatre world, transparency can be really hard to come by – surprising considering all the vulnerability we seek. But there’s a lot of strength to be found in the ability to just lay all your cards on the table without apologies or shame. I personally believe it to be superhuman. And as a person in recovery from alcohol (six years of freedom from the booze on July 7th) I can tell you hiding things fuels addiction, so I really try my hardest to stay in a place of openness.
That said, I really had hoped to do our Season Six announcement way back in May, but (as is all too common in our post-pandemic world) life got very much in the way. Two people I love very much have had some significant challenges of their own with alcohol these past months. But then one of the two, my older brother, the person I idolized in my childhood, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (or ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) two days after our fundraiser on May 21st. He’s only 47 years old. And because of that, since the day after our fundraiser I’ve been spending a lot of time at the hospital and in my hometown.
But to be perfectly honest, I’m really struggling with things - much like theatres all over. Last season was our most successful to date, and I feel a real urgency to keep that going. And you, our Constructivists community, have proven time and time again that the Milwaukee community wants and needs the type of art we create, and you have shown up for us in such a big way this past year. The phrase “thank you” doesn’t begin to cover it. But thank you.
And yet, we are really working against the clock with my brother right now. An invisible clock that we don’t even know how much time is left on it. There is a fine line between boundaries and avoidance. On the one hand, art can be a way to process hard emotions and provide a place of refuge. On the other, you can bury yourself in it as a way to not confront the difficult things in your life. I am hyper aware of this conundrum and am trying my best to determine the best foot forward under current circumstances. But I can tell you my number one priority for this company is to continue to make great art for you. And that takes a lot of brain power and focus.
So with all that, here’s the promised update on S6:
This December will bring “A Very Deadly Constructivists Holiday,” which is a cabaret of sorts, where we’ll combine holiday songs with real stories of people doing very bad things over the holidays. Let’s just say it’s The Seven Deadly Sins of the Holidays (with music!). I like to think of it as Alternative Holiday Programming.
We also plan to continue our Under Construction Play Development Series this winter. (We have a project in mind, but it’s very hush-hush at the moment as there’s a ton of logistics to hammer out.)
And speaking of Under Construction, next spring will be the first time we will fully produce a work born in our playwriting series. Written by By Andrew Hobgood and Joe Lino with contributions by Andrea Ewald, Jaimelyn Gray, Ekene Ikegwuani, Nicole McCarty Clayton Mortl, Matthew Scales, Kevin Stangler, Kellie Wambold, and Ben Yela, the devised “A Cappocalypse, or Oconomowocappella’s A Cappella Concert Has Been Canceled” is meant to be an allegory on how Americans have become so click-bait-headline-triggered it takes almost nothing (not even FACTS) to whip us up into a bloody frenzy. Our production featuring those same artists will be its World Premiere.
So that covers winter and spring, but what about fall? Well, with the aforementioned “life getting very much in the way,” the question of producing a play this fall is still up in the air. I’m still looking for a script that fits our needs, what with all that’s been going on, but I’m not going to do something just to do something. My goals this next season are to make great art for you, make great work for the Constructivists family of artists, and keep my sanity. The Constructivists is not a machine – it’s a place for artists to make art they can be proud of, and we can’t do that without staying healthy. Myself included.
I thank you friends, new and old, for your patience as we move forward. I will continue to keep you updated on the status of projects, and you can always feel free to reach out to me with any question you may have. I’m open.
Be well out there,
Jaimelyn Gray
Artistic Director
The Constructivists
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